Thinking about starting a Podcast?

Podcasts are making a comeback and since we have a bi-weekly show, people have asked us how to create a podcast. So here are some things to consider before launching your own show…

– Why do you want to create a podcast? To educate, entertain, enrich, and/or engage a specific audience.

– Who is your audience? Who do you want to reach?

What is your message?

– Do you have the time to prepare the content, edit, promote the podcast, and interact with listeners? If so, before you purchase any equipment or decide if this is what you want to do, download Audacity.com and do a trial run with your computer’s microphone to see how it all works. If you’re not ready, take some time to think about it before spending any time or money. Before you publish anything, we recommend purchasing an external microphone. The sound quality is important! If someone hears the podcast and it doesn’t sound good, you may lose first time listeners them forever! You’ll also need a headset to make sure it sounds good for people listening using headphones.

– How often are you planning to produce your podcast episodes? Daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly? Consistency is key. I recommend producing at least 5 shows prior to launching so you can schedule them to publish after your first episode is launched. Consider committing to podcasting for 12 months.

– Think about preparing a script and arrange interviews if you’re planning on having guests.

– As far as editing, to give you an idea of our show, New Bern Now’s Podsquad records the show every other Thursday from 1 – 2pm. It takes 20+ hours to edit an hour podcast so it publishes on Monday.

Decide what equipment you’ll need:

– There are a number of programs that you can use to record and edit your podcast, but I’ve been using Audacity.com for five years. It’s reliable and user friendly.

– Are you going to be a one person show or do you want to have in-house guests or do phone interviews.

– If you’re going solo, you can purchase a microphone to plug into your computer.

– If you plan on having guests join you in person, you’ll need a mixer, Or you can pass the microphone back and forth, but moving the cord back and forth generates static noise and it’s difficult to remove the noise when it comes to editing.

– If you plan on having guests call you, this is when the mixer comes in handy. Some people use Skype. I’ve never used it so I can’t say if this is a good option or not.

– Consider using intro and exit music. If you haven’t purchased the music, you may want to ask a local band to record it. If you don’t own it or have permission to use it, You will be infringing on intellectual property/copyright laws.

Where can people listen to your podcast?

– I highly recommend using Libsyn.com to host your podcast. When I’m ready to publish New Bern Now’s bi-weekly podcast, I upload it to Libsyn and share it on iTunes, NewBernNow.com, our daily email, and on our social media sites.

– Consider how you’re going to promote the podcast and interact with listeners. Publish on iTunes, your blog, social media presence (at least Facebook and Twitter), and via email. Please remember that it’s called social media for a reason, Anyone can send information to our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc, sites, but unless you engage with others, it may turn people off and you’ll lose followers.

If we can do it, you can too!

If you haven’t heard New Bern Now and Beyond’s Podcast show, listen here:

If you don’t have time to listen to the entire episode, click here to see the show notes and listen to parts of the episode.

Tell us what you think sending us an email. Visit New Bern Now’s Facebook page or sign up for the latest updates by submitting your email address in the right margin on New Bern Now’s website.

Please let me know if you have any questions about podcasting and I would be happy to answer them.